Cutting flowers on small plants

[Marc]

I've seen a couple of people on this forum mention that they cut the flowers on their plants so more energy is going in growing and less in the flower.

Of course there are a lot of opinions on this matter but what would be better to do, snip when the flower stem is rising. Or wait for it to open and cut it of afterwards?

I pulled the flower of a plant I had this weekend because it was holding it bloom for far too long ( I recieved it last year in bud ) and it only has one established growth. The growth with the bloom was allready in serious decline and the new growths weren't growing very quickly. Afterwards I repotted and the roots didn't turn out to be that big either.

 

[carrilloenglish]

You will get tons of opinions on this question.

If you are truly concerned about the healthy and integrity of the plant because you know it will be of high quality, then snip the flower as soon as it passes the sheath. But of course, who wouldn't want to let it bloom and appreciate the quality and flower that you have been waiting so long to see. If it was me, I would let it bloom for a week and then snip it. I would definitely want to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

 

[goldenrose]

Sounds like you made a good choice or right choice! and the plant is?

 

[fbrem]

if you want the best chance of plant survival snip it as soon as you can, the less energy the plant puts into the inflorescence/bud the more energy it will put into a new growth, and the growth should initiate more quickly than if you let the bud progress towards blooming.

Forrest

 

[Shiva]

If the plant is in really bad shape, I cut the flower spike as soon as I see it. Otherwise, I'll let it flower at least for a little while.

 

[Marc]

Sounds like you made a good choice or right choice! and the plant is?

http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19755&highlight=raisin+jack

Not that worried because of the plant but I was wondering what peoples opinion about this matter is.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Things tend to try to reproduce under one of two conditions - when they are very healthy or just before dying....

So you choose!

A somewhat related story: there was a farmer who grew a HUGE patch of Cyp. japonicum near his home - there were an estimated 30,000 stems. The story goes he didn't allow ANY of them to flower for nearly thirty years. Supposedly he managed to wade out into that sea of plants and cut every bud each spring without stomping them all to death (maybe he had a crane). On the thirtieth year he allowed them to finally bloom. Of course he called up the local news agencies and even NHK, the national TV station, to record the event. It was a spectacular display to be sure.

Did he have to go through all that though (assuming he did) - probably not. I planted 10 of them three years ago and have done nothing to help them except watch. This year they have 27 growths and 10 buds coming along. Very likely next year that number will increase significantly. I tell you one thing, I'm not going to live long enough to keep cutting the flowers so that the plants get stronger!

 

[Brian Monk]

I have read various threads offering dvice on this subject, and the one thing that doesn't make any sense is the idea of letting a plant bloom for a day or a week and then cutting the flower. I would imagine that the greatest physiological expenditure of the plant is actually producing an inflorescence. This being the case, it makes more sense to cut a bu when it is first observed, rather than letting it develop.

As an aside, wouldn't it make more sense to simply grow the plant and not trigger floral production? Temperature seems to be the relevant environmental factor that causes a plant to set buds. I have been rereading "The Orchids : A scientific survey" (Withner, ed.), and the tempreature in insigne below which they set buds is 65F. Below this, they bloom, above this they don't, regardless of other factors. So wouldn't it make more sense to grow a weak plant or a seedling into a larger plant before exposing it to the temperatures that would result in flowering?